Posted on
16 June 2006
Internet Reviews Web 2.0
Never heard of Wufoo? Shame on you. Wait, Wufoo’s not live yet. Ok, I forgive you, but just don’t do it again.
Just some background on it… Wufoo was created by the fine folks from ParticleTree, who also run the Treehouse magazine. I’ve always paid close attention to their blog and magazine, as their work is a constant source of tips, tricks and the never ending, “Why didn’t I think of that?” in the web design and Web 2.0 fold. Anyway, they have been busy developing Wufoo for the last couple of months, and I must say, I’m extremely impressed!
What is Wufoo?
Wufoo, for the less informed, lets you build and host online forms. Things like mailing lists, marketing surveys or even customer management systems using simple forms that you and I have used and painstakingly created before to capture data on the web. I’m currently using Wufoo as a beta user, and Wufoo is very much a beta, as I found some very simple bugs in the system within 10 minutes of playing around. But that doesn’t detract from what is going to be a killer Web 2.0 application.
Why I really like Wufoo
There hasn’t been a Web 2.0 app of late, actually 6 months that has really made me take notice. (Actually Newsvine, but who’s counting?). I saw Wufoo a couple of months back, but couldn’t grasp what they were trying to achieve with their fancy form builder that did nothing else. Today I received a beta invite, and everything fell into place. Need a mailing list? Bam. Done. Want stats on the list? Bam. Done. Emailed to you? Bam. Done. What about a colour or theme change? Click. Bam. Done. Sounds simple hey? It is just that simple. I can already see places where I’ll be plugging in Wufoo forms with great ease.
I’m really looking forward to see where Wufoo is going. They say it’s nearing completion, so a public launch shoudn’t be too far off. For those that want to see Wufoo in action, check out my Wufoo form – Who Wufoo-ed Jason Bagley? Fill it in, and let me know what you think!
Posted on
13 June 2006
blogging South Africa
I received my copy of Vodacom’s quarterly magazine last night, and as always I don’t normally pay much attention to it, since its free. By free I mean tons of ads, write-ups on advertised phones, services etc – not much content to speak about…
Anyway, I came across the featured websites section, and low and behold, Lusharazzi, a Cape Town fashion blog, was one of the sites being featured. Now the thing that really got to me about this was that the Lusharazzi crew stopped writing on the blog before their “Easter break”. (The screenshot in the magazine highlighted the post about it.) It has been dead ever since. Until today.
They obviously caught wind of the write-up and well, from what I can’t understand, canned their entire archive, and put up 3 extremely meaningless posts, just to look like its “updated daily from the streets of Cape Town”. It looks more like a 2 day old blog, than a website worthy of being featured in a magazine.
So here are my tips on what Lusharazzi should’ve done:
- Posted on the magazine love from Vodacom, and thanked them.
- Posted on the reason why the blog seems dead, and give readers a glimpse into what to expect soon. With dates!
- Definitely NOT erase the entire archive, and begin from scratch.
It seems a real pity what they did. Although the blog doesn’t tickle my fancy, I think a blog about fashion and whats hip-and-happening would really do well. The fact it comes out of Cape Town makes it even better.
It seems that Lusharazzi got caught by the paparazzi with their pants down. Sad really.
Just a couple of things…
The World Cup starts tonight! I cannot wait. Even though Germany vs Costa Rica isn’t going to be the most anticipated game at the World Cup, I’m sure going to enjoy every minute of it!
I also found out for all you South African plasma television owners out there, you will be able to catch a number of the matches in wide-screen format! How cool is that? If you ever see a match being screened on SS6 or SS7, press the menu button > advanced options > tv installation. The pin code is 9949. The ratio currently showing will be 4:3. change that to 16:9. Save the settings and get back to SS6 or SS7 quick! Now you will be able to watch DSTV on your plasma the way it was designed to be watched! More info over at SuperSoccer.
Other randomness… I had my 22nd Birthday on Monday and I learnt to make sushi! If you like cooking as much as I do, you’ll appreciate the art of making sushi. I bought most of the ingredients from the local sushi restuarant, and I even managed to get the chef to borrow his sushi knife to me for the evening. They say, never get into a fight with a sushi chef, and I now know why. I’ll post photos and some tips on how to be cool like me and make your own sushi soon.
Other than that, I really wish I had an internet connection at home. This dial-up nonsense to write blog posts is really getting me down. I haven’t been posting here as much as I’d like too, for that simple reason. ADSL is getting cheaper at the end of August, so I might just bight the bullet… But I’ll have to see. Any other idea’s anyone?
Posted on
31 May 2006
Sport
Watching England take on Hungary last night at Old Trafford, gave me “the” feeling. Yip, it’s that feeling I get every 4 years or so, when the greatest footballers gather in one country to try and win the soccer world cup. 2006 marks Germany’s turn, and guess what? 2010, it’ll be held here in South Africa!
This year I’m backing England to take the World Cup, although without Rooney, their chances might have slipped a little. Brazil will always be in and around the semi’s, and only a fool wouldn’t back Germany in their backyard getting to the final. The other notables that you can never write off are the likes of Czech Republic, Netherlands, France, Spain and Argentina. Although the USA, ranked 5th in the world, might pull a few upsets. I really doubt this year that any of the African teams will make an impact, which just goes to show, that soccer in Africa still doesn’t stand up to the class of the Europeans and South Americans. Are there any other teams you think might create an upset this year?
Another favourite of mine has to be Portugal. My girlfriend’s family is Portugese and don’t even think of not supporting them… But having said that, it’s so much more fun supporting them when they play, than trying to go up against 30 or so of the most staunge Portugese supporters!
And always there’s tons of fantasy league type of games to be played. Over at Newsvine, you can play World Cup 2006 Pick ‘Em where you choose your favourite teams, and stand a chance of winning an iPod video. Over at the official world cup site, theres the Fifa World Cup predictor game which you can play in an Excel spreadsheet. Lots of fun to be had there.
So with less than 10 days to the Fifa World Cup, who you backing?
Posted on
24 May 2006
blogging
I’ve had writers block of late, and Darren has got me out of it by asking to participate in a group writing project on the habits of highly effective bloggers. I’ve often looked at blogs or bloggers and envied their readership, traffic, writing style or blog design and wondered what it takes to get to that point. Everyone’s story of how they got there is different, but they definitely share some sort of common factor. These factors or habits are what make them succeed and really stand out amongst the rest.
After thinking really hard about it, these are my 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers.
- Be humble, yet confident – You should never have to tell people your work or blog is awesome, others will be able to tell you, and the rest of the web, themselves. Being humble enough to realise that, yes you’re awesome, but yes there are also others out there that can better your efforts.
Notables: Bryan Veloso, Veerle Pieters
- Use technology efficiently – From the blogging platform you use, to your RSS feeds, effective bloggers know what works for them, and what doesn’t. Also, being able to adjust to the ever changing environment which is the internet, is key to blogging success.
Notables: WordPress, Feedburner, Text-link Ads, Podcasting
- Express your personality in your writing – Being able to write a 1 sentence comment to full-length articles, being able to express yourself is one of the fundamentals of writing. Since you’re not having a one-on-one conversion on your blog, but being able to write your posts as if you are, really gets a person listening.
Notables: Mike Davidson, Kyle Neath, Scrivs at OreoCEO
- Re-invent yourself, yet stick to your roots – The internet is an ever changing environment, and what works 1 month, is lame the next. But being able to change the direction of your blog subtly can influence others. As new technology emerges, and your interests change, being able to get others to follow suit really makes one stand out.
- Giving back – The age old saying of “give and you shall receive” will forever stand true. Always remember who got you to the position you are now in and giving back in some form of another can only benefit you. Whether it is a WordPress theme, or free advice on a niche topic, give and you shall receive.
Notables: Sifr, Chaotic Soul, Problogger.net
- Honesty – Admit your failures when they do arise, but also tell others about your successes and how you managed to accomplish them. Everyone is human after all, and honesty does show a lot about your character.
Notables: Paul Scrivens, Yaro Starak, Bare-naked app
- Don’t be afraid – to take chances, to write a “rant” post or to stick your neck out and make a bold statement about something. But always have you facts straight, and stick to your story. If you are proven to be wrong, follow step 6 and admit you’re wrong. But never be afraid to try something different.
I could probably write a book about this post, and then sell it and retire at the age of 23. Oh, but wait, someone beat me to it… Well then I’ll write a post after this one, just about the 8th habit… =)
